100 words to say I Love You
by willowbabe
Summary: My contribution to the UsakoMamoru LJ community Drabble challenge. 100 themes, each with ideally 100 words.
1. 1 Chocolate

**#1 Chocolate**

70 words

It's all Minako's fault.

She knew we love chocolate.

I repeat, Love it. With a capital 'L'

She bought us the chocolate sauce….

And sprinkles….

…To celebrate our anniversairy of the day we met.

She's the one who suggested to Mamo-chan a special use for it.

A very special use. Very nice use.

It's all Minako's fault.

I must remember to thank her.

And buy her some chocolate sauce too.


	2. 2 Masks

**#2 Masks**

161 words

"Mama!" Cried Usagi from her position on the sofa. "Mama, someone's at the door!"

"Get it yourself dear. I'm busy making your lunch." Came the reply from the kitchen.

Usagi sighed as she forced herself up from the sofa. Today was meant to be a day to relax and indulge herself in all sorts of feminine things. She flung open the door in an angry manner only to be startled by a scream.

"Aaaarrgh!"

She jumped back in shock and raised one hand to cover her eyes and her other hand to her brooch, in case of youma. Moving her hand away from her eyes slowly, she found in front of her… nothing.

Sticking her head out of the door curiously she saw a figure running quickly away from her direction. A figure that looked like… "Baka-san?"

What was he doing at her house? And why did he seem so terrified now?

It was only a banana and honey face mask.


	3. 3 Hair

#3 Hair

140 words.

Neo-King Endymion awoke one uneventful calm morning to be greeted with the sight of his beautiful wife and mother of his child pacing the bedroom in a panicked manner. He sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes with a bemused expression on his face.

"What's wrong Usako?" He asked holding his hand out to her and pulling her towards him.

"It's all Minako's fault!" She wailed, bursting into tears. "She thought that it was about time I started teaching Chibi-Usa how to use the ginzuishou, and so I thought I'd start her on simple transformations, and well…." She held up a small mirror, and let the reflection speak for itself.

From the other side of the door, the loud shriek informed the small princess that her father was not at all happy about his new lavender coloured hair.


	4. 4 Karma

#4 Karma

61 words

"So Usagi, what did Mamoru-san get you for your birthday?"

"A book."

….

….

cough

….

….

"What sort of book?"

"Oh you'd love it Ami, it's called the Karma Sutra and it's all foreign and stuff, but it's okay because it has lots of pictures. I'll lend it to you sometime."

….

….

"We're trying number 17 tonight!"

….

cough


	5. 5 Short Skirt

#5 Short Skirt

410 words.

"No Usagi, absolutely not!"

"But Papa, you promised that if I did well in that algebra test you'd buy me anything I wanted, and I got a 95. So you have to buy me this. You promised!" Usagi whined as she stood in front of a mirror, modelling a baby pink miniskirt for her father.

"It's far too short Usagi! It'll attract way too many boys" Kenji crossed his arms in a decided fashion.

"But papa…"

"-He's right you know Odango!" Usagi looked up to see her arch-nemesis smirking down at her from a clothing rack a few metres away.

"Baka san! What are you doing here!" She scowled at him.

"That skirt is too short. I always wondered how you could eat so much and it never really show. It looks like you keep it all in your thighs." Mamoru grinned, looking her figure up and down in a sardonic way.

"OOOoooo You're absolutely, positively the most vile man I've ever met!" Usagi cried, as tears began to prick at her eyes. She turned and stormed back into the dressing room, pulling the curtains closed in a very angry fashion. Kenji turned to the dark haired stranger standing next to him with a frown on his face.

"Now there are two reasons that I can think of for you to be so mean to my daughter. One is that you are as my daughter described in which case I need to have a severe word with you about hurting my daughter's feelings. The other is that you have feelings for my daughter and don't want her to purchase that skirt for the same reasons as me. In which case I definitely need to have severe words with you. Now which one is it?"

"Umm, ah, It's the second one Sir." Mamoru gulped nervously, "But it doesn't matter anyway. She's too good for me. I have to be going now. Please pass my apology on to you daughter for making her cry. I didn't mean to upset her that badly."

And with that Mamoru dashed off, just as Usagi walked out of the dressing room holding the aforementioned skirt as well as a few other garments. She placed the skirt back on the rack with a very disgruntled expression.

"The nerve of that man!" She growled.

"Oh, I quite liked him." Her father grinned back, leaving the blonde to wonder just what had been said while she was changing.


	6. 6 Blue Eyes

#6 Blue Eyes

288 Words

In hindsight I should have known. In some ways I think I did know.

I should have recognised him through the mask. How many fights have I ended up in his arms, gazing up at his intense blue eyes?

And how many times had those exact same eyes glared angrily at me across the arcade after an argument?

The night we discovered each other's identities, I think I partially realised. In the elevator, for a moment, I managed to see through the glamour that surrounds our identity, but then, being the immature schoolgirl that I was, I managed to deny it in the same breath.

Yet when I saw him transform for the first time, it seemed right. His clothing changed, and a mask obscured his face, yet the eyes were still the same. Still intensely blue, and still gazing intensely at me.

The same eyes that are gazing at me through sleep-filled lashes tonight.

"What are you doing up? Small Lady isn't hungry again, is she? At this rate, she'll milk you dry." He reaches towards me, attempting to grope me in an affectionate manner. I bat his hand away, my post-natal body still aching.

"Small Lady is fine. She has my sleeping habits fortunately." I look over towards her crib that lay at the foot of our bed. "I was just thinking. Remembering the past." I grin at him and poke his cheek playfully. "You were so mean to me then."

"I'm mean to you now Odango Atama!" he answered back, attempting to bite my fingers as I run them over his face. But I know he doesn't mean it because I can still see his blue eyes gazing at me with his intense love.


	7. 7 Things Left Unsaid

#7 Things Left Unsaid

104 words

Go over there and talk to her

_I can't. She's having so much fun. I'll only spoil it for her._

You should tell her. Tell her you love her.

_She'll think I'm crazy!_

You are crazy, about her.

_But then she'd never want to even see me again. She hates me as it is. I'd lose her._

You can't lose what you never had.

_What if she rejects me?_

At least you've had a moment with her.

_I… I'm gonna tell her! I'm gonna do it now!_

"Oh Motoki you're so funny! Why can't all guys be like you?"

And he lost his nerve.


	8. 8 Kiss

#8 Kiss

284 words

Mamoru really is a man of hidden talents. And he really should keep those talents better hidden from his friends and their co-conspirators if he doesn't want people (i.e. me the innocent and pure girlfriend) to find out.

Motoki being the friend in this case.

And Minako the co-conspirator.

It was so unexpected. We're just sitting around her house one rainy afternoon, with nothing to do, when she decided she had a video she wanted to show us. I was a bit suspicious when I saw it was a home video. Even more so, when I saw it was labelled 'Blackmail - Mamoru'.

The next thing I know I was greeted by a sensory overload. The music was blaring in my ear, and my eyes felt like they were on fire.

Mamoru. Half naked. Obviously drunk. Singing.

"You don't have to be rich to be my girl

You don't have to be cool to rule my world

Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with

I just want your extra time and your . . . . ."

At this point he swiveled his hips in a matter that left me dazed and made me think of various thoughts that I'm sure you're too innocent to know about. To top it off he finished the routine with a neat little crotch thrust.

"….KISS!"

He then promptly passed out and the video changed to Motoki's seventh birthday party, but that's besides the point.

The point is… Mamoru is a sexy beast! And it took that video to convince me of that.

So really, it was Motoki and Minako's fault that I jumped Mamoru the next time I saw him. Nothing to do with me whatsoever.


	9. 9 Button

#9 Button

216 words

"It's not fair."

"What's up Usagi?" Motoki asked as his self proclaimed favourite customer sulked into her coke.

"Teen Scene magazine did this article on noses, and apparently my nose is out of fashion." She whined. Mamoru, who was sitting nearby, choked on his coffee at this statement.

"So what sort of nose is in fashion?" he asked curiously, wondering at the stupidity of teenage magazines and all they contained.

"Button noses of course." Usagi replied, with a 'matter of fact' glare.

"Button noses?" He looked at her sceptically.

"Button noses are 'cute, un-intimidating and have that overall girl-next-door appeal that boys find simply irresistible.'" She quoted with a miserable sigh. "This means that all us non-button nosed girls are in for a very lonely few years. It's so unfair! And my dad is refusing to let me have a nose job."

"Usagi, trust me. Your nose is fine. It's dainty and pretty. Like a princess." Motoki and Usagi both gawped at Mamoru as he said this. There was a moment of silence. Then, having obviously realised what he had just said, Mamoru jumped up and rushed out of the arcade, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

"A princess nose? I like it." Grinned Usagi, feeling much happier for reasons she didn't want to analyse.


	10. 10 Sweet 16

#10 Sweet 16

94 words

"Usagi I really can't be distracted today so –" _smooch_

"Stop it, I need to –" _smooch_

"If I can just get to –" _smooch_

"Studying is –" _smooch_

"The test is –" _smooch_

"Your dad will –" _smooch_

"We really should –" _smooch_

"You can't just –" _smooch_

"A kiss won't help –" _smooch_

"Would you please –" _smooch_

"I mean –" _smooch_

"You –" _smooch_

" I –" _smooch_

"We –" _smooch_

…

…

…

…

"Mamo-chan I need to get home. Dad will start to-" _smooch_

"Do be quiet Usako" _smooch_


	11. 11 Past

#11 Past

141 words

"Wow!"

"What's so amazing Odango?" Mamoru looked over at the small blonde who was reading a magazine in the booth nearby.

"The name's Usagi, baka. And it's this article about a guy in Osaka who's lost his memory. He was found wondering in the middle of town one day and they have no idea who he is." Usagi looked fascinated as she continued reading the article.

"What's so great about that? Poor guy's life is ruined." Mamoru shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"I don't think so. Having no past must give such a feeling of freedom. It's like a clean slate. You can start over." Usagi responded, with an air of wisdom. Mamoru stared at her, amazed that she could find something positive about what was in his mind, a very horrible event.

"Only you, Odango. Only you" He smiled affectionately.


	12. 12 Present

#12 Present

111 words.

Mamoru gazed at her lovingly from across the arcade.

In the space between them there were two small children chasing each other, having obviously escaped from their parents for a few minutes. A large group of boys were playing on the racing games, yelling and cheering each other on. Two school girls were attempting to flirt with Motoki, while he was nervously glancing further up the counter to where his girlfriend Reika sat watching.

Suddenly she looked up from her own game, and their eyes met, and in that instant, there was no children running; or girls giggling; or boys cheering.

There was just Usagi and Mamoru, and nothing else mattered.


	13. 13 Future

#13 Future

123 words

He used to cling to the past. As a boy, the few scraps of information he had, he clung to, hopeful that as long as he knew them, he might be able to bring his memories back.

Since he met her, his clinging has lessened. The part that is Tuxedo Kamen is still clinging. But the part of him that is Chiba Mamoru… That part of him looks to the future. And sometimes, if he thinks really hard, he can see it.

A small dark haired baby boy in his arms. A pink haired daughter running around his feet. And there standing next to him, looking up at him with her loving blue eyes. His Usako.

Yes Chiba Mamoru clings to the future.


	14. 14 Closet

#14 Closet

248 words

'_Mamoru, _

_Thanks for locking up for me tonight. Don't forget to wash the kitchen floor. Don't worry about serving the customers. No-one comes in after 8, but we have to stay open anyway. I really appreciate you doing this. I'll make it up to you sometime._

_Motoki'_

Mamoru looked around at the empty arcade as he read the note Motoki's sister had handed him a few minutes ago as they changed over shifts. Slowly a grin began to appear on his face.

Ten minutes later, the arcade was filled with giggles as Usagi and her friends walked in, having just seen a movie. Usagi was just about to call out for Motoki when she heard a noise coming from the direction of the kitchens. Curious, she walked closer and what she saw made her burst into loud peals of laughter.

"I'm coming out

I want the world to know

Got to let it show"

Mamoru was disco dancing around the kitchen with a mop in hand. Mamoru. Disco dancing. To complete Usagi's amusement, Mamoru looked up to discover the source of the laughter.

In later years, Usagi would describe that look as a cross between a deer in the headlights and a naughty five year old caught with his fingers in the cookie jar. Mamoru on the other hand would just deny the incident ever happened and then proceed to remind his wife that he had never 'come out' of any closet and would never need to either.


	15. 15 Mistake

#15 Mistake

100 words

It was heaven. It was paradise. It was bliss. It was his birthdays, Christmases and report cards all rolled into one. It was a kiss from Usagi, and somehow, it made everything right with the world.

But then she pulled away, and he felt empty. She gasped softly and he opened his eyes to look down at her face. She was gazing up at him with her big blue eyes, and the expression on her face terrified him.

"I'm sorry. This is a mistake." She whispered before turning on her heel and running from the arcade.

And his heart broke.


	16. 16 Behind The Blue Curtain

#16 Behind the blue curtain

194 words

"Argh! Why do you have to be so mean?"

_Not again!_

"I'm good at seizing oppourtunities."

_I wish they would be quieter._

"You're such a pompous jerk! Can't you move to France or something and leave me alone?"

_Oh honestly, can't they see I'm trying to study here?_

"Mais mon cheire, alors je ne pourrais pas vous taquiner tous les jours."

_Wait, what was that?_

"Huh? What was that?"

_My thoughts exactly_

"Ah, vous ne parlez pas la langue d'amour ? Mais alors, mon ange doux, vous ne saurez jamais de comment beau je vous trouve."

_Oh really?_

"You're speaking French? I don't know French. I struggle enough trying to learn English!"

_Well this is interesting._

"Mon lapin doux, vos yeux sont comme les diamants et vos cheveux comme l'or. Mon amour pour vous durera jusqu'à l'éternité."

_Very interesting._

"Ami! You know French! What's he saying? I bet it's something mean isn't it? Translate for me please Ami?"

_Wow. I've never seen Mamoru go that pale. I didn't know I could have that effect on people. _Ami brushed her blue curtain of hair out of her face, and grinned in a very mischievous way.

* * *

**Translations (roughly)**: _Mais mon cheire, alors je ne pourrais pas vous taquiner tous les jours_ - But my dear, then I could not tease you everyday

_Ah, vous ne parlez pas la langue d'amour ? Mais alors, mon ange doux, vous ne saurez jamais de comment beau je vous trouve _- Ah, you do not speak the language of love? But then, my sweet angel, you never will know of how beautiful I find you

_Mon lapin doux, vos yeux sont comme les diamants et vos cheveux comme l'or. Mon amour pour vous durera jusqu'à l'éternité_ - My sweet bunny, your eyes are like diamonds and your hair like gold. My love for you will last till eternity


	17. 17 Ice Cream

#17 Ice Cream

100 words

"I want an ice cream."

"But Usako, it's winter!" Mamoru stared at his girlfriend, wrapped up in her woolly scarf and gloves, as he picked her up from her parents house one chilly afternoon.

"I want an ice cream." She persisted.

"There's snow outside."

"I want an ice cream."

"It's way too cold for ice cream." Mamoru's arguments seemed to be falling on dumb ears, as her family watched, amused.

"I want an ice cream." She scrunched up her tiny nose in irritation.

"What sort do you want?" He sighed, defeated.

"Whipped." She shared a cheeky grin with her mother.


	18. 18 Death

#18 Death

100 Words

It was the funeral of one of his neighbours. He remembered the girl had been very sweet. A childhood disease had left her very weak and in constant pain, yet she still managed to have an active social life. As her condition worsened, the number of friends passing through her doorway remained constant.

He hadn't expected to see Usagi there.

He spotted her in the crowd, a lone figure in white, amongst the sea of figures in black. After the ceremony, he asked her about her clothing choice.

"I'm not mourning her death," was the reply "I'm celebrating her life."


	19. 19 Liar

#19 Liar

100 words

"So, Mamoru, what time is the hot date tonight?" Motoki grinned and waggled his eyebrows. How he loved to wind up his stoic friend.

"Shut up Motoki!" came the reply from behind Mamoru's newspaper.

"You have a date?" Usagi looked shocked and, although only for a second, disappointed. She quickly hid any disappointment though, when Mamoru brought his head up from his paper and looked at her.

"Why? Are you jealous, Odango?" Mamoru smirked, one eyebrow quirking upwards in that annoying manner of his.

"No!" Usagi responded moodily. But a little voice inside her head was tutting.

_Liar,_ it whispered.


	20. 20 Scars

#20 Scars

100 words

"Eww Usagi! How can you think he looks cute? He has that horrible scar across his face." The other four senshi winced as Minako's assertion screeched through the arcade. Usagi's reply however was just as loud.

"I happen to think scars are very sexy." She declared with a aristocratic air. "It proves that they've lived through stuff. It also gives him that rugged look."

"I have scars!" The five girls looked over to see Mamoru sitting at the counter with a mildly embarrassed look on his face.

"Pardon?" Usagi asked.

"I have scars." He repeated, in a much smaller voice.


	21. 21 Mischief

#21 Mischief

138 words

It had been a long hard day of studying, and Mamoru had been struggling to stay awake through the day. To make it worse, his Usako had come round and instead of spending a pleasant evening watching a movie, he had fallen asleep in her arms.

He did however enjoy waking up to her light and fluttery kisses. As he stretched out the effects of his nap on the sofa, his girlfriend resettled herself next to him with a smile.

"Usako, what have you been doing while I was napping?" he asked, feeling slightly suspicious of her unusually cheery face.

"Nothing silly!" She replied with a mischievous grin, leaning down to kiss him more thoroughly.

It wasn't until later that night, as he was getting ready for bed that he noticed his toenails were a bright sparkly pink.


	22. 22 Christmas

#22 Christmas

100 words

"Odango, what are you doing?"

"I'm writing Christmas cards you baka, what does it look like I'm doing?!"

"But it's the middle of July."

"Yeah well I have to make sure I don't forget anyone. If I get them done early, I can make sure my card is one of the first they receive. Everyone who is important to me is here in this pile, and I want them to know that I think they're special."

"You're weird Odango."

Yet his heart couldn't help but skip a beat when on December 1st, he found her greeting card in his mail.


	23. 23 Valentines

#23 Valentines

103 words.

...

_H__er eyes are as blue as the crystal clear sea_

_Her hair is as golden as sun_

_I wish she were mine, she's really divine_

_The girl who makes my life fun_

...

**Roses are red**

**Meatballs are too**

**I'm just a guy**

**Who really likes you**

...

_The thoughts of the girl_

_Take over my brain. I_

_Live for her smile._

...

**Had we but world enough, and time.**

**That coyness, lady, were no crime.**

...

_Let me not to the marriage of two minds_

_Admit impediments. Love is not love_

...

**How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.**

...

Usako

Aishiteru

Mamoru

x


	24. 24 Dragonfly

# 24 Dragonfly

100 words

The world was still turning yet within that park, a stillness surrounded them. It was so still that a small dragonfly flew over and rested on her thumb. This action went unnoticed by the girl, still so wrapped up in the words of the man in front of her.

Suddenly she squealed and leapt forwards into the arms of the man. The quick movement caused the dragonfly to move away, and the stillness was broken.

"Oh Mamo-chan! Yes! Of course I will marry you!"

Stillness returned a few moments later however, as the happy couple lost themselves in a kiss.


	25. 25 Caramel Apple

#25 Caramel Apple

100 words

_She was Eve to his Adam. She was temptation in it's purest form. He looked at her, and instantly he was consumed with thoughts that he knew would get him in trouble of biblical proportions were he to repeat them. _

_And now she was fulfilling her role as evil temptress. She was offering him that golden fruit. She was offering him a chance to indulge his wildest fantasies!…._

_He was fallen. _

As his head slammed heavily against the table, Usagi looked at him in wonder. Why was her boyfriend acting so weird? After all, it was only a caramel apple.


	26. 26 Telephone

#26 Telephone

It was not a conscious reaction. She didn't even realise it until it was pointed out to her. But like most phobias it began to consume her. At first she couldn't look at it. Then she would start crossing the street to avoid walking past it. She even got herself a part time job, so she would be able to afford a mobile one. All this just to avoid a public telephone box.

It wasn't until a few weeks before their wedding that Mamoru's curiosity got the better of him and he enquired as to where it developed from. She replied in a slow stilting voice, explaining how she had spent the worst night of her life in a phone box, her heart breaking at the thought that her Mamo-chan didn't love her any more.


	27. 27 Stained Glass

#27 Stained Glass

100 words

It was odd. It was quite strange too. Scarily strange. It made her out to be some kind of god. Or Demi-God at the very least. Which was ridiculous really. She was only Queen of Crystal Tokyo.

Nothing special.

How life had changed. Aged fourteen, she just woke up one afternoon to find a talking cat on her bed. Look where that got her. Happily married and mother of a pink haired replica, complete with a stained glass window of her very image.

'Well, she pondered, head tilted to the side to look at it critically.

'A slightly fatter image.'


	28. 28 Same Old Song and Dance

#28 Same Old Song and Dance

200 words

It was always the same thing every time.

Since the destruction of the silver millennium, right through to present day, Pluto would watch the two in their never-ending search for their other half. Spending your entire life watching over the gates of time could get very boring, so she had to find something to amuse herself.

She noticed that they were usually dancing when they met. Whether it was a village dance in late 14th century England, or a Grand Masque in 17th century Venice. The musicians at whichever event would suddenly find themselves overcome to play that melody. He would hold out his hand at the shy but interesting girl hovering at the side, and she would accept. They would begin to dance, and it was as if their whole world disappeared and the only thing that mattered was each other. It wasn't so much a case of falling in love all over again, for they had never stopped in the first place. By the time the dance had finished, their souls had reconnected.

She wasn't sure how it always managed to occur, but it seemed Fate had taken a particular liking to the Royal Couple and 'Moonlight Denatsu'.


	29. 29 Buried Treasure

#29 Buried Treasure

100 words

It was a challenge. She would find it one day. She knew she would.

Until then it was bitter angry remarks, and cold calculating replies. It was rushed battle in the mornings and frenzied war in the afternoon.

It was tousled black hair, competing with golden blonde strands. It was dark realism against innocent optimism. It was blue meets blue. It was struggle.

Yet she continued to return to him. She continued to wait for the day when rather than being greeted by a sneer and sarcastic comment, she would instead find a welcoming, loving smile. A true hidden treasure.


	30. 30 Business Card

#30 Business Card

158 words

"Hey 'Toki Onii-San? What are these?" Usagi enquired one afternoon in the arcade.

"Them? Oh they're just Mamoru's business cards." He replied as he collected her empty sundae dish and placed a coke in front of her.

"You have business cards?" She asked in disbelief, turning to the man beside her. "What on earth do you need business cards for?"

He scoffed at her. "For my business, Odango. I'm a freelance computer specialist. Some of us have to actually work for our luxuries, rather than sponging off their parents all the time."

"I don't sponge! Any way I'm a teenager I'm meant to be enjoying life, not wasting it away working like you."

"Yeah, but at least I can…"

Nobody noticed, as the couple descended into yet another childish argument, that Usagi slipped one of the cards into her bag. And later that night she placed it in her box of other assorted Mamoru memorabilia without any qualms.


	31. 31 Weapon

# 31 Weapon

226 words

"… and do you know what else really gets me sometimes? How pathetically lame our weapons are!"

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, and for once there had been no Youma attacks to disturb them. So Usagi and Mamoru were making the most of the quiet and spending the time together sprawled out on his sofa, discussing whatever came to mind.

"Pathetic? Lame? My sword is incredibly awesome thank you very much!" Mamoru replied to his girlfriend indignantly. She rolled her eyes.

"Okay I'll give you your sword but that's only when you're Endymion. What about when you're Tuxedo Kamen? A red rose? I mean, come on! It's romantic and all, but really? It's not very macho is it? And my tiara! Who on earth decided that a tiara should be a deadly weapon?! It's just odd!"

"I'll have you know my roses are very macho! Youmas find them terrifying. And anyway, it's not necessarily the weapon, but the guy wielding it that's important." Mamoru defended.

"Of course Mamo-chan. You and your roses are very terrifying. And very macho. I can see those Youma trembling in their PVC boots right now!"

"I'll show you just how macho I can be!" He said with a growl in his voice as he pounced on her, and indeed he did manage to convince her that roses are indeed macho.


	32. 32 Rain at Midnight

# 32 Rain at Midnight

156 words

It was a sight that broke his heart. He woke up from yet another dream about his Princess only to find another one when he left his apartment for some respite. There, standing on the bridge in the park across from his home, drenched to the bone from the midnight rain, was his Usako.

It was hard to tell amongst the raindrops, but he was positive that he could see tears making tracks down her cherry red cheeks. She looked up at him with a desperate, broken expression.

"I don't know who I am anymore. I don't know if I belong." She whispered. He held the umbrella above her and pulled her close in his arms.

"Sshh," He muttered soothingly, "You're with me now. I'll look after you."

"I'm with you." She muttered into his chest. And as he guided her into the dry, she felt strangely like she'd found her place in the world again.


	33. 33 Gift

Author's NOte: This follows on from Drabble no. 71 Quiet Despair. Coming soon!

* * *

#33 Gift

136 words

She found it when she returned home from school one day. A small book containing a slip of paper and one red rose, placed in her doorstep.

The rose was placed in prominent display on her bedside table. The note, handwritten on the slip of paper, was memorised before placed inside a special box that was then hidden at the back of her wardrobe safe from prying eyes.

And the book was held firmly in her hands, as she sat curled up on her bed reading it. A soft smile graced her face as she gently turned the pages.

_Greek mythology may not all have happy endings, but there's at least some hope. Try chapter three. Enjoy._

And so she turned to the third chapter and began to read the tale of Selene and her Endymion.


	34. 34 Ball of Yarn

#34 Ball of Yarn

339 words

"And it's happened every day for the past two weeks! It's just weird!"

"As much as I loathe to admit it, Usagi is right. It is weird." Rei agreed reluctantly.

"Why would Luna, of all of us, get a secret admirer. A human secret admirer at that?!" Makoto pitched in.

We don't know that it's human. Another cat could be bringing her his toys. Of course that doesn't explain the roses." Ami pondered.

"The roses are strange. They are really long-lasting. Mum's been collecting them and the first one is still fresh in it's vase." Usagi leant forward as if to share a secret. "I think they might be Tuxedo Kamen's roses."

"Usagi!" The other senshi all cried at her declaration.

"If it really was Tuxedo Kamen, I think Luna would have mentioned it to us already." Ami said

"She's keeping surprisingly quiet about it though. I mean, if it was any of us, we'd be telling the others as fast a the speed of light.

"I guess cats are just a lot deeper than we thought after all."

...

"Here you go kitty. Another ball for you. I got a nice pink colour today to match your owners bow that she had on yesterday. She looked really pretty yesterday. And you look pretty too. Is that a new ribbon? I wonder if Usako's thinking about me. Oh, I'm being silly. She'd never like me like that. She's too happy for a person like me. Oh well, at least you like me kitty. Here. Take your ball. Oh and here's the rose for Usako. Make sure she sees it. Bye kitty."

Luna miowed at the man as he walked away, his hands tucked in that revolting jacket of his, no doubt on his way to the arcade in order so that he can catch his crush on the way home from her school.

"That Mamoru," she said to herself quietly, as she walked towards Usagi's room where she would then place the rose. "Such a shy boy. But a romantic."


	35. 35 Daily Planner

#35 Daily Planner

135 words

"And after that, you have a meeting with the city planning committee to discuss the rebuilding of the city, followed by a brief lunch with the representatives from Norway, who wish to discuss a fishing dispute with you. Then at 2 o'clock you're scheduled for a… Tsukino Usagi!"

Luna looked up from her black book to give a scandalised look at the woman before her. "You've been messing with my planner again! Queen or not, you're still not too important to get a telling off from me!"

As Neo-Queen Serenity ran off giggling, chased by a small black cat, her husband bent over to pick up the book and find out what horror his Usako had scheduled this time.

"It's Chiba Usagi." He muttered as he read the words 'Usa-Mamo loving time' with a smile.


	36. 36 Champagne

#36 Champagne

358 words.

"I can't believe that out of all the people I know, all my friends and acquaintances, the one person I happen to meet, is you!" Usagi looked accusingly at her dark haired companion. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were a college student, not a journalist."

"Even college students need money. I modelled for the magazine once." Mamoru shrugged his shoulders amiably. "How come you're here?"

"My dad works as a editor for the magazine and Mama was feeling ill, so I got to come instead. I didn't think this party would be so boring though. I've spent most of my time standing here by the wall, while Daddy mingles for work… Oh no! Quick pretend we're a couple." Usagi slipped her arm into his and pulled him nearer to her.

"What?!"

"Just please go along with what I say. And don't say anything." She said through gritted teeth as she plastered a fake smile onto her face. Before Mamoru had a chance to respond, a smarmy looking man slide up to them and asked Usagi for dance.

"Sorry, I can't. I promised the next dance to my boyfriend. Didn't I, Mamo-chan?" Usagi apologised. If Mamoru didn't know any better he would have thought her sincere, particularly as she choose that moment to seal the act by reaching up and brushing a soft kiss against his chin.

"Excuse us, I think I can see a former colleague of mine, and I simply must introduce him to my lovely Usako." Mamoru smiled politely as he guided Usagi across the room.

"Usako? What the hell was that about?" She whispered furiously in his ear.

"Just your Mamo-chan sealing the deal." He responded with a smirk on his face.

"Champagne Sir? Madam?" A waiter interrupted.

"Oh no thank you." Usagi shook her head as Mamoru picked up two flutes off the tray, and moved to hand her one, "I can't drink champagne. It's bubbly and goes straight to my head."

"I can think of something else that does that." He murmured to himself, knowing he would be reliving the events of the night for many weeks to come.


	37. 37 Pocket Knife

#37 Pocket Knife

200 words

"And you've got your emergency numbers here. A spare phone battery. A credit card in this zip. First Aid kit here, pocket knife here…"

"-Pocket knife?" Mamoru interrupted his girlfriend pointing to the various items in his suitcase with a sharp chuckle. "Usako, I'm going away on a business trip for one night, and it's only to Kyoto. I'll be back before you know it. I'm not going to need all this stuff."

The blonde's eyes instantly filled with tears.

"Last time you went away, Galaxia got to you. So I'm preparing for every eventuality. I don't care how silly you think it is. I just want to make sure you'll come back to me safely."

"Oh Usako!" Mamoru sighed as he wrapped her in his arms, wiping away her tears. "I promise you I will come back. Crazy sailor senshi and cross dressing idols couldn't keep me from you. I love you. Always and forever."

"Always and forever." She murmured as he bent down to kiss her. "Which is why you're taking all this. Just in case. So where were we? Oh yes, pocket knife here, compass behind this flap. String here…" Mamoru sighed as Usagi continued her demonstration.


	38. 38 Studying

#38 Studying

100 words

"Mamo-chan?"

"Yes Usako?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm studying."

"You're studying?"

"Yes Usako, I'm studying."

"Mamo-chan?"

"Yes Usako?"

"What are you studying?"

"I'm studying you Usako. More specifically, your freckles."

"Mamo-chan?"

"Yes Usako?"

"Why are you studying my freckles?"

"Well, I understood there was to be a test later. And you know how I always like to get a good grade."

"A test?"

"Yes Usako, a test. In fact I believe it's starting just about now…"

"Oh? Oh!"

…

…

"So, what do you think my grade will be?"

"Defiantly an A+ Mamo-chan. Now lets work on that Grade average."


	39. 39 Cologne

#39 Cologne

200 words

"Mamo-chan? What cologne do you wear?"

"What?" Mamoru looked down at his girlfriend as she lay curled around him.

"Well our anniversary is coming up and I wanted to buy you some cologne, because that's what Mama buys Papa every anniversary." She explained. "But I don't know what you wear. I know it smells faintly like roses, but it has an odd mix of something I'm not quite sure of. It's like earth and sky and something else that I just can't place. And I spent 3 hours at the cologne counter yesterday trying all the different scents to find the right one but I had to give up after it made my nose itchy and I kept sneezing."

Mamoru laughed as his girlfriend got more and more involved in her explanation, flinging her arms around wildly, before scratching her nose in a rather demure fashion.

"Oh my silly Usako!" he grinned pulling her close and placing butterfly kisses on first her nose, and then all over her face, culminating in a sweet kiss on the lips. They broke apart each slightly breathless.

"Why am I silly this time?" She asked petulantly. He grinned cheekily back.

"I don't wear cologne."


	40. 40 Pointillism

#40 Pointillism

119 words

"Oops sorry Usagi-chan, could you pick that up for me?" Motoki asked, as he knocked some cutlery to the floor.

"Sure Motoki-san." Usagi replied as she jumped off her seat and bent down to get it. As she stood up, she managed to hit her head on the counter. "Ooooo, I feel dazed. Wow everything looks like one of those Pointillism paintings." She said groaning and rubbing her wound.

"Pointillism? I didn't know you knew such a big word." Mamoru grinned. She stuck her tongue out in reply. She didn't mention how he was the only thing to appear clear.


	41. 41 Jacket

#41 Jacket

115 words

It's funny. After everything we've been through; death, destruction, meeting our future daughter. The one thing that really hit home that we were both in it for the long haul, was when she wore my jacket home.

My green jacket. The one she hates with a vengeance, and has tried to destroy on several opportunities. The one she's named 'Jacket of doom'.

I wrapped her up in it after we got caught in a downpour. She wore that jacket home and her parents didn't even bat an eyelid. It was returned the next day washed, dried, and perfectly pressed. She'd slipped a short love note in the pocket. I knew then I would marry her.


	42. 42 Desire

#42 Desire

100 words

Her hair would be everywhere, revealing, concealing all that he wanted to see. The golden locks would glint in the candlelight, catching his eye, and commanding his attention. He would let it slide between his fingers, allowing the silky strands to caress his skin and sooth away his irritations.

Her eyes would widen, as he took his time, acquainting himself with every part of her, memorising her, burning her into his very soul. Her lips, already flush and plump from his earlier ministrations, would part, letting out a whimper, and then no other sound, excepting of course his name…

"_Mamo-chan…"_


	43. 43 Shipwreck

#43 Shipwreck

100 words

As she slowly slid down the wall of the phone booth, she felt the waves of grief crash over her. The tears flooded out of her, wave after wave of pain, frustration, agony and heartbreak. Her heart felt battered and bruised, left coldly unprotected against the cruel rocks of his harsh reply.

She'd begun to feel adrift, as if she were lost at sea. Saving the world is a pretty big task, and she struggled to cope sometimes. The one thing that she thought might anchor her, the one person who would help her stay sane, no longer wanted her.


	44. 44 Dirty Nails

#44 Dirty Nails

125 words

After dashing around the whole of the palace, the king finally found his queen, coming in from the gardens, rubbing her muddy hands against the fabric of her tatty jeans. She smiled at him in amusement.

"Why are you so out of breath?" She asked, ducking out of his way as he reached for her.

"It's Tuesday afternoon. We always have sex on Tuesday afternoons." She ducked out of his hands again, and giggled at her husband's desperation.

"But Mamo-chan, Chibi-Usa and I have been planting some daffodils. I'm filthy and I have dirty nails."

"It's not your nails I'm interested in, my love." He replied as she allowed him to capture her in a deep kiss.

The maids washed some very muddy sheets later.


End file.
